captainchris

Can he please teach players to be two footed first. In a football match if you can’t kick a ball you ain’t much use a fact we don’t seem to have addressed .... He better start with the first team actually ....

Hi Teddeer Certainly right there but it the defeatist attitude which many fans are guilty of and often this leaches into the team attitude and the whole club which does us no favours. I like your idea on the tactics for this game (one up top) we have a tendency to throw too many forward to far up the pitch in the press which is why I believe Ralph plays two up top and we have seen how dangerous that can be for us in this league. The press must be deeper, a loose two up front could possibly be ok then ?....

We have far too many defeatist fans.. We play every game to win. It’s a professional sporting competition not a picnic by a pond on a Sunday afternoon. We put our best team out we can and fight to win.

Simply because he only uses his left foot for standing on.... Obviously he is not being coached to use it for kicking a ball..

Agree... A few people wear rose tinted glasses after a win or a goal and lose perspective of the overall.... Chez missed two gilt edged chances today and that has been an issue for the team lately... Chez is one footed and dog average unless you are comparing with Shef Utd who were totally inept..

And a week for many others ....

Scored a very good instinctive goal. Missed two two golden chances ... The hype over the goal must not mask the overall, either today or in in his total contribution. We should aim high with two footed players.

Good win against a very very poor side. Really good performances from Minimino, Tella, Armstrong, Bertrand, KWP and Forster. Chez missed two great opportunities one because he is one footed, great goal but otherwise a bit meh .... When we press it is too high up the pitch with too many bodies which leaves a massive gap in midfield - Good teams will continue to murder us playing like that. The press needs to begin deeper nearer the centre circle so that we can conserve some energy and not leave ourselves exposed. Oh and throw ins... We lose the ball in 90% of them whether or not we have the throw or not. Why hasn’t this been addressed, it’s been an issue now for a long time....

It’s because he tried to flick it onto his right foot. One footed players should not be in the first team, wasted chance. Why does Ralph not keep him training all day until he is two footed ? maybe Ralph hadn’t noticed though...

Well said Sydney ......

Letting Target go was a poor Ralph decision. Not to say strange. In the Gabby category I’d put it ..... Still I suppose we have a ready made left full back replacement in errrrrrr Bednerek anyone ..... None of us saw that one, still that’s why Ralph is paid the millions I suppose !!!!

Definitely agree with one up front and stop the closing down so far up the pitch it needs to happen around the centre circle, particulates we are so fragile.

Hardly ‘Harsh’ sir .. That is quite an excuse list you have compiled.... If not ‘just yet’ the time is perilously close.... Before any new players or Manager are brought in one fundamental aspect of the club has to change. Ambition. If we are not aiming for the top then we are saying we accept mediocrity and that can lead to relegation. From the Chairman down it has to be a win at all costs mentality and I am not hearing or seeing that from our Chairman so the whole club is in a comfort zone as expectations are very low. In competitive sport that will not do.....

Recovery from ‘depths of despair ‘ is perhaps not a great basis to build a case for giving Ralph yet more opportunities to recover from.... Two 9-0 s and the rest of the records and evidence leads you to question the basis for persisting ... If it doesn’t then would another 6, 7, 8 or 9 - 0 ? There has to be a line in the sand ....

I’m afraid there is little evidence to suggest that Ralph is Champions League standard. I don’t want to get into too much detail but Ralph is not performing well. His style certainly comes across as very autocratic which is just about ok in the good times but a disaster when things are going badly.

There are fine lines for sure but Ralph doesn’t seem to make the best decisions when these lines present themselves. Ralph has shown he can be slow to recognise when a game is changing tactically or the direction of a game changes. Ralph has failed to arrest the second half collapses which we see week in week out. Without getting into more specific detail Ralph is not adaptable enough in his strategies and stubborn in his philosophies and also at times with his favourites in the team. Ralph has issues which often hold us back. We are predictable now and teams just ‘play’ us. Blind loyalty is one thing but a failure to admit Ralph is not the God that some seem to worship come what may is not going to cut it for too much longer. Yes he is a ‘nice man’ and we have played some ‘nice’ football at times however there are some serious flaws going on here.

Exactly this.... From the Chairman to Ralph and then the players we do not have a winning mindset... Starts with the Chairman and trickles down....

You are clueless mate.... The players are not as bad as Ralph has got them playing. Ralph is also responsible in part for motivating and clearly they are not motivated by Ralph at all and don’t start me on two 9.0s - no manager should get away with that ...

Nonsense

Bednarek- harsh? Well if it’s obvious and it is then hard lines but your in the bench.....

Two up front, Djenepo and an odd right back .... Come on Ralph, you don’t invite sympathy do you...

Unfortunately that is the exact attitude which gets you relegated.

This is an interesting point, However, the problems seem to be arising in the second half mostly when we stop pressing, stop passing, stop running, and start aimlessly drifting....

It is a subject which begins with a low ambition both at the club and indeed with the fan base as well. Too much talk of how well we are doing considering this and that.... The losing mentality is rife right though the club and fans which generates a satisfaction with just staying in the league then the players will naturally play to that level and with that mentality. Even Ralph started saying we have achieved acceptable results by amassing 29 points. Well in competition whether you are rich and have the best equipment or not as wealthy a mediocre mentality will equal mediocre results and even John Terry alone will find that whole attitude difficult to overcome. Ultimately if the Chairman believes we are not aiming very high, the fans are satisfied with not aiming high, the Manager has reached his target, then the players will play ultimately and have a personal determination to that level which is ‘acceptable’ Mentality is 70% of the advantage in sport if not more... We clearly are lacking it in every aspect of the club and supporters. Roy Keane is dead right ....